Lewis Hamilton has stormed to victory at the U.S. Grand Prix in Texas, helping Mercedes-AMG Petronas to secure the constructors’ world championship ahead of Ferrari.
The British driver started the race from 1st position on the grid but when the lights went out, Vettel stormed off the line to take the lead heading into turn 1. Despite clearly being slower, Vettel eked out a slight advantage over Hamilton as the Mercedes driver looked to avoid the turbulent air of the Ferrari.
It wasn’t long before Hamilton returned to first position on the track and from then on, he raced ahead and ultimately finished 10 seconds ahead of Sebastian Vettel.
Further down the grid, Kimi Raikkonen, Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen fought hard for the final position on the podium. Verstappen, who started from 16th place after incurring an engine penalty, pulled off a number of remarkable overtakes during the race, none more impressive than his last lap move on Raikkonen to secure third position. Raikkonen ultimately finished fourth and Bottas came home in sixth. However, Verstappen had third taken away from him after the race because he cut a corner to overtake the Flying Finn. Daniel Ricciardo retired with an engine failure.
Hamilton’s win represents his fifth victory at the Circuit of the Americas in just six years, allowing him to move closer to his fourth championship with a 66-point advantage over Vettel.
“A big congratulations to the team. They work so hard back at the factory and here,” Hamilton said during the podium interview.
“I feel great … It has been a humbling experience. It is a dream job. Many people would love to drive an F1 car and I can tell you it is the best experience in the world.”
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